Gimme an ear...

Gimme an ear...
Originally uploaded by Pandiyan.

This is the same elephant was that shown a few days earlier. Little closer this time.

Unlike african elephants, the female asian elephants do not have protruding tusks. The tusks are teeth which look like canines are actually upper incisors. Elephants use them for ripping barks, digging the ground and of course as weapons.

One of the most interesting thing about are their ears. African elephants have larger ears shaped like Africa! And asian elephants, also called Indian elephants, have much smaller ears have them in the shape of Indian subcontinent. The ears are used for identification as they are like fingerprints - unique.

Elephants use their ears to regulate their body tempreature. The earflaps are cartilaginous sheets filled with blood vessels covered by thin skin. Elephant experts can find out about the health of an elephant by looking at its ears, I believe.

An interesting scientific theory about elephants communication has come about in recent times. Elephants can hear infrasounds - sounds which humans are incapable of. This is an ability they are said to share with blue whales. It means elephants can communicate over huge distances. Scientists say under perfect conditions as much as 100 sq kilometers!

This hypothesis has lead to a great understanding of elephants' social behaviour and family structure. For information on this, read the book Silent Thunder by Katy Payne, a serious researcher.

Scientific name: Elephas maximus

Soon - living only in the legends....

Soon - living only in the legends....
Originally uploaded by Pandiyan.

Nilgiri Langur

Normally found in southern India. Lives in a troop of 5 to 16. Eats leaves, shoots and fruits.

In the 'Endangered' list. Threatened due to habitat loss and heavy poaching. Legend has it that its flesh and fur have aphrodiasic properties. As with the tiger, this belief is killing this beautiful animal..

Scientific name: Trachypithecus johnii

Please make sure monitor adjusted properly for color and brightness. Otherwise the features of the Langur won't show.

Let the sleeping tiger lie

Let the sleeping tiger lie
Originally uploaded by Pandiyan.

This tiger is fortunate and he is safe within his enclosure. But it is a pity really. This magnificent creature, actually the national animal of India, is in such a precarious state in many Indian forests. Utterly defenceless against poaching and encroachment. Government machinery, except for a few informed officials, is blissfully indifferent and badly equipped to face the challenge.

After two decades of well publicised "Project Tiger' campaign, we have not many tigers more than what we had then.

Just warming up

Just warming up
Originally uploaded by Pandiyan.

Marsh crocodiles also called muggers are found mostly in the Indian subcontinent. Among the crocodiles, these resemble the alligators most. Wider snouts though not as wide as alligators. They keep their mouths open as in the photo to regulate their body temperature.

Species are considered vulnerable as the numbers are coming down in the wild. They have died out in Myanmar and many provinces of Pakistan. They are endangered in Bangladesh. Though captive breeding programs are successful, loss of habitat means no place to release them. In countries such as India commercial breeding for meat or skin is prohibited.

Crocodiles have changed little over miilions of years, showing how successful their evolutionary build is. They are on the top of the foodchain and did not have any natural predator. All that till man came along. And the future of creatures which survived dinosaurs are suddenly not so bright.

Scientific name: Crocodylus palustris

Neither short nor stout but has a really long snout

Neither short nor stout but has a really long snout
Originally uploaded by Pandiyan.

Indian Gharial - Gavialis gangeticus

The most critiacally threatened of all crocodilians. They usually are found in rivers and are harmless to humans except during nesting.

They are more adapted to an aquatic lifestyle preferring calmer areas of fast moving rivers. They come to land for nesting and basking but are not very well eqipped for moving on land.

Their thn and long snouts are their special feature and they have 100+ teeth unlike their other crocodile cousins which have 60+ Their teeth are razor sharp and interlock making them highly specialised for catching fish.

They also grow very large, not as much as salt water crocodiles, but to 15-16 feet. With this bulk they can only 'bellycrawl' unlike other crocs which can walk with body raised.

They numbers are threatened as they get caught in fishing nets; get killed for their snouts believed to have aphrodisiacal properties; and lack of many release sites for captive-bred ones. Decline in gharials result in lower fish catch as their diet consist of predatory fish. They are good scavengers too.

Out on a limb...

Out on a limb...
Originally uploaded by Pandiyan.

Fights for mating rights or territory are bloody in the crocodilian world. Alpha males rule supreme. Any challenger has better be good. Has to go out on a limb...

This poor fellow has lost a whole of his hind leg. However, crocs have a remarkable immune system that protects them very well against infections. Even with wounds such as this they survive unlike many other animals..

I am sorry for posting a gruesome picture, but I wanted to show that while we continue to work for their preservation and make people aware of their fascinating side and beauty, we also need to foster a healthy respect their inherent strength and tough nature.

The Lord of the Swamps

The Lord of the Swamps
Originally uploaded by Pandiyan.

Don't be fooled by the 18 inches that you see here. He is an 18 foot giant who brooks no challenge. He is Jaws, India's largest saltwater crocodile. And he is still growing.

Have you seen the perfect alignment of the crocodile's nostrils, eyes and ears which protrude just above water while the massive body is underneath? Adult males are highly territorial and fight hard for mating rights. See the next photo for how deadly they can be.

Among the crocodiles, salties are among the least threatened as far as conservation is concerned. However, their skin is the most valuable and legal and illegal trade is rampant. The fact that they are dangerous to humans, turn common folk against them and that makes conservation more difficult.

I have been to Jaws' place so many times, but he is always camera shy and I have never got a proper shot of him. Here is another shot of him.

Scientific name: Crocodylus porosus

Asiatic Elephant

Asiatic Elephant
Originally uploaded by Pandiyan.

Elephants in India have had a much better deal than tigers and lions. Asiatic elephants are smaller than their African cousins; the females do not have tusks. These gentle giants know how to live life. Full grown adults weigh anything between 3500 to 5000 kilograms. They are the largest mammals on land.

The one in the picture is not fully grown but not a baby either. I have another closer shot which shows the elephant in a bigger size, but I like this as this one shows the surroundings.

Scientific name: Elephas maximus

Deer Oh Deer

Deer Oh Deer
Originally uploaded by Pandiyan.

Swamp deer also known as Barasingha. Famous for its antlers which can develop 12 points or more. The one in the picture is a juvenile. The color becomes darker during the mating season.

They were close to extinction few decades ago but revived. They are still considered 'vulnerable' as they are surviving mostly in sanctuaries and other protected places.

Their number is said to be a mere 5000. The reasons for decline is loss of habitat - deforestation, draining of swamps for making farms, infection from domestic cattle and poaching for horns.

Scientific name: Cervus duvauceli

Emaciated

emaciated
Originally uploaded by Pandiyan.

In-bred, emaciated zoo lion; these majestic beasts have had a raw deal in Asia.

The asiatic lions in the wild - mostly in Gir Reserve, Gujarat, India- have a precarious existence. While all seems to be well as of now, experts warn that there is a clear and present danger of some unfortunate epidemic wiping the stock out. As it is, they face human encroachments and ensuing conflicts.

The Government has solutions before it - relocating some stock elsewhere as expert studies have suggested, but things are caught in a bureaucratic maze and public indifference.